Battle of Ashdown 871
Marker: recorded battle location (no official boundary).
Key facts
| Date (year) | 871 | Wikidata P585 point in time |
|---|---|---|
| Century | 9th century | derived |
| Period | Early medieval, Anglo-Saxon & Viking | derived |
| Country | England | derived |
| War / conflict | Viking activity in the British Isles | Wikidata |
| Participants | Alfred the Great, Bagsecg, Halfdan Ragnarsson, Kingdom of Wessex, Vikings | Wikidata |
About the battle
The Battle of Ashdown was a West Saxon victory over a Danish Viking army on about 8 January 871. The location of Ashdown is not known, but may be Kingstanding Hill in Berkshire. Other writers place the battle near Starveall, a short distance north of the village of Aldworth and south east of Lowbury Hill.
The West Saxons were led by King Æthelred and his younger brother, the future King Alfred the Great, while the Viking commanders were Bagsecg and Halfdan. The battle is described in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and Asser's Life of King Alfred.
Visiting the battlefield
Location
- Recorded location (Wikidata; may be approximate): 51.5350, -1.2300
Battlefields are often on private farmland: please keep to public rights of way and respect landowners.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Ashdown (revision 1377719100), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations removed. No text added.
Battle location from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby battlefields
- Battle of Englefield 871 · 14 km
- Second Battle of Newbury 1644 · 15 km
- Battle of Newbury 1643 · 18 km
- Battle of Chalgrove 1643 · 19 km
- Battle of Reading 1688 · 20 km
- Battle of Reading 871 · 20 km
Other battles of the Viking activity in the British Isles
- Battle of York 867
- Battle of Basing 871
- Battle of Englefield 871
- Battle of Reading 871
- Battle of Chippenham 878
- Battle of Cynwit 878
- Battle of Edington 878
- Battle of Buttington 893
- Battle of Tettenhall 910
- Battle of Tempsford 917
All battles of the Viking activity in the British Isles →
Browse more: battles in England · Early medieval, Anglo-Saxon & Viking · 9th century battles